The State Water Resources Control Board unanimously approved Governor Brown’s executive order for cities to cut water use by 25%. Also, 75% of 10th-graders in LAUSD schools could be denied their diplomas, because they didn’t meet the district's plan to prepare students for four-year colleges. Then,a bill that failed in Sacramento yesterday sought to authorize roadside drug tests to help police officers identify high drivers.
Beverly Hills mayor reacts to mandatory water cuts from Sacramento
Last night, the State Water Resources Control Board unanimously approved Governor Brown’s executive order for cities to cut water use by 25%.
The vote comes in light of the latest data that shows cumulative water savings since last summer came in at under 10%. On average, cities will have to cut 25% of their water use to be in line with regulations that take effect this summer, although water suppliers face individual goals ranging from 8% to 36%.
Among the municipalities that will face the steepest cuts are Beverly Hills (151 gallons per person in January) and La Cañada Flintridge (191 gallons per person in January). Some of these cities have already passed water conservation measures, although how much they can curb their denizens use is yet to be seen.
For example, Beverly Hills is banning draining and refilling of swimming pools, limiting landscape irrigation to two days a week, and mandating car washes at commercial venues. But despite raising the maximum fine for water wasting to $1,000, the guidelines are unclear regarding the extent to which the city will enforce the regulations and fine and/or cut off water to violators.
What restrictions should cities place on their residents, and how will they enforce them?
Guests:
Frances Spivy-Weber, vice chairwoman for the Water Resources Control Board
Dr. Julian Gold, MD, Mayor of Beverly Hills
Why 75 percent of LAUSD 10th graders aren’t expected to graduate
LAUSD’s plan to prepare students for four-year colleges has had some unintended consequences.
The LA Times reports that 75 percent of 10th-graders in the district could be denied their diplomas, because they didn’t meet the plan’s requirements.
Introduced in 2005, the plan was dubbed “A-G” and was designed to prepare students for 21st century workplaces. The policy upped the math and English requirement to three and four years, respectively. It also raised the minimum passing grade to a “C.”
Superintendent Ramon Cortines tells the L.A. Times that the goal was a good one, but “not practical, realistic or fair to the students of 2017.”
Today on AirTalk, we take a look at what went wrong, and what the LAUSD must do now.
Guests:
Monica Ratliff, chair of the curriculum assessment committee for LAUSD District 6
Elmer Roldan, education program officer with the United Way; he also is the parent of a 9th grader in the LAUSD
Marijuana boom & busts: $8 billion in sales predicted by 2019; CA pot sobriety tests fail to advance in Sacramento
The time is right for big tobacco to exploit business opportunities in the production of marijuana-based products, according to new analysis from Bloomberg Intelligence.
Ken Shea of Bloomberg says, “U.S. medical and recreational marijuana sales may climb to $8 billion by 2019, up sharply from about $2.4 billion in 2014, according to the Marijuana Business Factbook 2015. Potential federal legalization of marijuana for recreational use could present large opportunities for major U.S. tobacco companies, given their cigarette manufacturing scale, knowledge of managing similar regulatory and legal risks and possible similar production supply chain."
With supply and demand on a sharp and steady climb, policy makers are wringing their hands to deal with implications of more stoned citizenry. One bill that failed in Sacramento yesterday sought to authorize roadside drug tests to help police officers identify high drivers. The bill did not meet resistance from marijuana advocates and enjoyed support of law enforcement, however experts say the science is not advanced enough to determine whether a high driver is an impaired driver.
Guests:
Ken Shea, Bloomberg Intelligence senior analyst
Paul Armentano, Deputy Director of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
U.S. lawmakers watch as France poised to pass controversial surveillance law
France is close to approving a controversial new surveillance law that would allow intelligence agencies to place cameras and recording devices in suspects' homes and cars without authorization from a judge.
Instead, with the exception of immediate threats, they would need to request permission from an independent nine-person panel composed of magistrates, lawmakers and a communication expert. Another controversial measure would force communication and Internet firms to allow intelligence services to install electronic "lock-boxes" to record metadata from all Internet users in the country.
The metadata would then be subject to algorithmic analysis for potentially suspicious behavior. Hundreds of people protested the proposed law Monday. Opponents say the bill legalizes highly intrusive surveillance methods without guarantees for individual freedom and privacy. Reporters Without Borders said the bill "poses a grave new threat to the confidentiality of journalists' sources."
With files from Associated Press
Guests:
Gary Schmitt, director of the Marilyn Ware Center for Security Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank; former staff director of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and author most recently of Safety, Liberty, and Islamist Terrorism: American and European Approaches to Domestic Counterterrorism
, works with La Quadrature du Net (LQDN), a French digital activist organization that opposes the proposed law
Beyond the ick factor: Why we’re not all turning sewage water into drinking water
Orange County has successfully been treating wastewater to be used as drinking water since 2008, and has plans to expand its Groundwater Replenishment System so that by the end of 2015, it will create 100 million gallons of potable water a day -- at half the cost of imported water.
While many stakeholders might find it hard to swallow, the need to recycle water might just be impossible to avoid with California facing one of its most extreme droughts on record.
Read the full story here
Guests:
Mike Wehner, Assistant General Manager of Orange County Water District
Brent M. Haddad, Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of California Santa Cruz
Deflated win: NFL Patriots investigation unfolding
Reports are coming out today that a Patriots employee likely deflated the footballs used for the AFC Championship game and that quarterback Tom Brady was aware of it.
What do you think of this? Do you think the Patriots Superbowl title should be revoked? Vote in our poll!
INVESTIGATIVE REPORT CONCERNING FOOTBALLS USED DURING THE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ON JANUARY 18, 2015
Guest:
Mike Tanier, NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report
Geoffrey "Geoff" Rapp, Co-Editor, The Sports Law Blog; Harold A. Anderson Professor of Law and Values, The University of Toledo