Two California assemblymen are pushing for a bill that would legalize street crossing against a flashing "Don’t Walk" light (the LAPD has been issuing tickets near $250) - we debate the pros and cons. We'll also talk about SoCal's flawed coyote policies; a possible gondola construction to the Hollywood sign; how to handle negative people and bad vibes; and more.
It’s illegal to start crossing the street if the clock is ticking down — a new bill would change that
California might soon legalize crossing the street against a flashing Don’t Walk.
The City of LA’s pushing a bill allowing people to judge for themselves whether they can make it across before the light turns red. Supporters say it’s considerate of walkers. But what are the tradeoffs?
Guest:
Meghan McCarty-Carino, community and mobility reporter for KPCC who’s been following the story
What to watch for following signing of Texas ‘sanctuary cities’ ban
With a quick stroke of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s pen, the Lone Star State has quickly become the central focus in the nationwide debate over so-called “sanctuary cities.”
In a Facebook Live post Sunday night, Abbott signed Senate Bill 4 into law. It allows police to ask during regular stops about someone’s immigration status and threatens local law enforcement officials with jail time for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Supporters say the bill is a necessary step toward stemming the flow of people entering the U.S. illegally, especially those with violent criminal pasts. Opponents have compared it to Arizona’s controversial SB 1070, known as the ‘Show Me Your Papers’ law, which is no longer in effect. They say it will lead to racial profiling and incite fear in immigrant communities, making them less willing to work with police.
On Monday, the state sued its capital, the city of Austin’s mayor, all of its city council members, and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF). The lawsuit is a preemptive move by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to get out ahead of civil rights groups like MALDEF and the ACLU, who have said they plan to challenge SB 4 in court before it takes effect on September 1. The complaint asks the courts to rule that SB 4 doesn’t infringe on the 4th Amendment right to protection from unreasonable search and seizure or the 14th Amendment right to equal protection.
Guests:
Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies
Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)
With little science, SoCal cities struggle to formulate coyote policies
Donna Perez was stooped over in her backyard, fixing a sprinkler, when she heard her dog start shrieking.
She stood up and whirled around, but it was too late. A coyote had jumped over the yard's five-foot wall, snatched one of her two pet Yorkies, and disappeared.
"We did not find her until the next day, and she was 95 percent dead," said the Arcadia resident. The dog later died.
Soon after, Perez went to the Arcadia city council along with five other worried residents. They told stories of being stalked while walking their dogs, of coyotes trapping them in their cars, and of the pepper spray and golf clubs they now carried when they left their homes.
Over the past two years, aggressive coyotes have attacked pets or bitten people in a number of cities throughout the region, including Glendora, Montebello, Irvine and Los Angeles. And Southern Californians have been filing complaints about coyotes for decades.
But there's a problem with Perez' conclusion that the region is being stalked by a more dangerous type of coyote: There's no science to back it up.
Read full story here.
Guests:
Emily Guerin, environmental reporter at KPCC whose latest piece looks at how some SoCal cities are dealing with coyotes
Justin Brown, ecologist with National Park Service in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area; his research focuses on coyotes
LA’s Korean American community weighs in on South Korea’s presidential election
South Korean voters have elected Moon Jae-in, leader of the left-of-center Democratic Party, to be their next President.
His election ends nearly a decade of conservative rule in South Korea, and could represent a shift in the country's policy towards North Korea and the U.S. Moon has advocated to renew engagement with their northern neighbor. A rapprochement with North Korea would affect South Korea's relationship with the U.S. and the Trump administration itself, which has been calling for "maximum pressure" on North Korea.
Experts say Moon could be more restrained once he's in office. His party does not have a majority in the National Assembly. The 61-year-old human rights lawyer takes over the mandate of ousted President Park Geun-hye, charged with participating in a corruption scandal.
Los Angeles has a large Korean-American population, many of whom were eligible to vote in the elections in South Korea.
Did you vote in the South Korean election from the U.S.? What do you think are the main concerns of South Korean voters? How would it affect you if tensions increased between South Korea and the U.S.?
Guest:
Sung-Yoon Lee, an expert on the Koreas, and a professor in Korean Studies at The Fletcher School at Tufts University in Massachusetts
A gondola to the Hollywood sign? It’s not a new idea, and Mayor Garcetti wants to make it happen now
Mayor Eric Garcetti has revived a decades-old idea to get tourists to the historic Hollywood sign - a gondola ride through Griffith Park.
There’s no formal proposal yet, but the mayor says he’s trying to address the congestion in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood caused by visitors to Los Angeles’ iconic landmarks.
The city closed one of the main entrances to the sign recently amid complaints of visitors disturbing a working ranch in the area. The gondola, says Garcetti, could depart from the Universal Studios area and take people past the neighborhoods that struggle with traffic.
But the gondola idea doesn’t appeal to everyone. Some residents have issues with the possibility of added noise in Griffith Park canyons. Others worry that the gondola would block views from below the sign. And there’s always the matter of who will pay for its construction and operation.
What do you think of the gondola idea? Would you pay to use it as a resident? Do you think tourists would enjoy the ride? Will it fix issues with traffic and congestion in the city?
We reached out to the offices of Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilmember David Ryu, but neither were available for comment at the time we requested.
Guests:
Jeff Zarrinnam, chairman of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce; he is also president and CEO of Hollywood Hotel and Chateau Celeste Hotels
Marian Dodge, president of Friends of Griffith Park
AirTalk asks: How do you handle ‘negative’ people in life?
Your day is going just fine, until someone comes along (whether knowingly or not) and completely kills the mood with their bad vibes.
Maybe it’s the angry driver who cut you off on the freeway and flipped the bird, or that one co-worker who always finds something in the office to complain about, like the unbearable temperature in the room, the terrible breakroom coffee, the impossible workload to finish, etc.
And it might not even be the complaints themselves that bother you. It’s the way they’re presented. You know, that negative, pessimistic tone.
So how do you manage when encountering chronic negativity? If you’re a generally positive person, is it better to just ignore unfavorable sentiments all together? Or are there times when confrontation has actually helped you? And should building resilience to negativity start from a young age? If so, how as parents have you talked to your kids? Call 866-893-9722 to share your best tips.
Guest:
Darby Saxbe, Ph.D, assistant professor of psychology at USC and director at the NeuroEndocrinology of Social Ties (NEST) Lab, where she focuses on the impact of stress, well-being and close relationships on mental and physical health