Today, we'll consider new developments in the case of OC hikers -- who should be responsible for paying for their rescue? We'll also discuss fees for homeowners who may be more vulnerable to seasonal wildfires and talk about what might happen to part time workers as ACA measures are implemented. Later, we'll take a look at about a new keyboard that may revolutionize mobile phone typing and speak with the owner of a company that rewards employees who get corporate tattoos with a raise.
Poll: Who should cover the cost of rescuing a lost hiker?
It took four days and services from six agencies to rescue Kyndall Jack and Nicolas Cendoya, the two teens who got lost in Trabuco Canyon in April. The tab of the rescue is calculated to be over $160,000 and officials are saying they won’t be billed for the rescue. An Orange County reserve deputy fell 60 feet during the rescue. And yesterday, one of the two teenageers was charged with felony methamphetamine possession.
“Why do I have to pay for someone’s negligence?" Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer told NBC LA. "We want government services when accidents happen. We don't want people to pay for government services when 'on purposes' happen.” Spitzer has launched an investigation looking into whether the teens should be held liable.
Should taxpayers foot the bill for these costly rescues? Should hikers be held responsible financially?
Guest:
Steve Casimiro, editor of Adventure Journal, an online adventure magazine.
Todd Spitzer, Orange County Supervisor.
Is the California Fire Fee an unfair tax on homeowners in danger zones?
Since it was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown in 2011, the rural fire fee has been dogged by criticism. The $150 fee affects some 825,000 homeowners in California and is supposed to pay for fire prevention services in rural and wildfire-prone areas.
Multiple legislature efforts have been raged to repeal the fee, with two current bills currently moving through the California legislature. This March, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a libertarian organization, filed a lawsuit against the fee, arguing that it is essentially a tax, thus a two-thirds majority vote is needed in the legislature for its approval.
In April, the State Board of Equalization and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection announced that they will postpone collecting the fee, after the state received close to 90,000 appeals from homeowners. Should rural homeowners pay more for fire prevention services? Is the $150 an unfair tax?
Guest:
Marc Lifsher, reporter at the Los Angeles Times
Move over, QWERTY! Here comes KALQ
The QWERTY keyboard is for big, chunky computers. But as more and more of us turn to our smartphones and tablets for daily computing, doesn’t it make more sense to come up with a new, smaller keyboard that is also more thumb-friendly?
That’s exactly what University of St Andrews lecturer Per Ola Kristensson and his colleagues at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics and Montana Tech did. It’s called KALQ, named for the last line of the letters on the keyboard. This invention is supposedly more ergonomic and efficient, but it takes at least 8 hours of practice to master its usage. Kristensson and his team plan to release the keyboard as an Android application in the next month or so.
Are you frustrated by the QWERTY keyboard on your tablet and smartphone? Would you switch to the new KALQ keyboard? What is the design principle behind KALQ?
Guest:
Per Ola Kristensson, Lecturer in Human Computer Interaction in the School of Computer Science at the University of St Andrews in the United Kingdom
Updates on Ventura wildfires
Wildfires in Ventura County have consumed nearly 3000 acres and forced evacuations. We have the latest updates from the Ventura County Fire Department and reporters on the scene.
Bill Nash, public information officer - Ventura County Fire Department
John Cadiz Klemack, local NBC reporter
RELATED: UPDATE: Camarillo Springs fire shuts stretch of PCH, spreads to 6,500 acres (map)
Part-time employees losing hours as ACA implementation approaches
The Affordable Care Act requires large employers to offer health insurance to part-timers working 30 hours a week or more. But, as the Los Angeles Times reported this morning, more and more large employers are opting to take hours away from part-time workers so they won’t have to provide them with healthcare.
“Not only will these workers earn less money, but they'll also miss out on health insurance at work,” Chad Terhune writes in the Times. To combat this practice, Assembly Bill 880, which is being considered by the Assembly Health Committee in Sacramento, would discourage companies like Walmart and Darden restaurants (think Olive Garden) from dumping their part-time employees from company healthcare.
Are employers wrong to cut employees hours so they won’t have to cover the cost of their healthcare coverage? Or are businesses entitled to take advantage of the language of the ACA?
Guests:
Jimmy Gomez, California Assembly member - D, for California's 51st District including Eagle Rock, East LA, Echo Park, Silver Lake and more; Gomez authored AB 880 to penalize employers who have employees on Medi-Cal
Dierdre “Dede” Kennedy-Simington, Insurance Broker and Advisor, Vice President of Polenzani Benefits in Pasadena which advises employers on insurance coverage and legal compliance; President-Elect - LAAHU (Los Angeles Association of Health Underwriters)
How are workers with alcoholism protected by disability law?
A police officer fired for driving drunk, while off duty, is suing his Oregon employer for discriminating against his alcoholism disability. In early 2011, Jason Servo, 43, was at a bar with colleagues after firearms training. He later crashed his unmarked police car in a ditch then was arrested.
Servo's lawyers say he immediately quit drinking, entered treatment then was diagnosed as an alcoholic. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does apply to the disease of alcoholism, but does not prohibit employers from firing employees whose drinking problems interfere with work. When the ADA was drafted, negotiations went to pains to ensure that alcoholics were a protected class a people, but that the associated behaviors were not protected necessarily.
What if Servo had been an undiagnosed epileptic who crashed his car after a seizure? Could he still be fired? Are different disabilities treated differently? How far can employers stretch to accommodate employees with unpredictable disabilities?
Guest:
Shawn Kollie, Attorney with Short Law Group - the firm representing Jason Servo - based in Portland
Karla Lopez, Staff Attorney, Legal Action Center based in NYC; Lopez specializes in legal issues surrounding substance abuse
NYC company offering a raise in return for a corporate logo tattoo
A New York City company has found a way to offer its employees a 15 percent raise while picking up some free marketing - in the form of a company logo tattoo. Rapid Realty offered its 800 employees the option of getting a company logo tattoo in exchange for a raise. Forty of them are now sporting fresh new 'Rapid Realty' ink.
Would you get a company logo tattoo in exchange for a raise? How much would it take for you to get a company tattoo? Do you have any tattoos that you regret?
Guest:
Anthony Lolli, owner of Rapid Realty, a real estate company in New York City