Today on AirTalk, we discuss the latest on California's overhaul of sex education guidance for public school teachers. We also examine a potential ban on the sale of tobacco products in Beverly Hills; check in on the latest from Iran and discuss the best course of policy action for the U.S.; and more.
How parents, educators and school administrators are responding to California’s new sex education guidelines
After an emotionally-charged meeting on Wednesday afternoon, California’s State Board of Education voted to approve new guidelines for educators across the state on how to teach sex education.
The new guidance is not mandatory, and simply updates the framework by which teachers instruct their students in sex education. It folds in more materials about the LGBT community, gives tips for discussing things like masturbation with middle-school students and puberty with transgender teens.
LGBT groups praised the changes to the framework, applauding the state’s efforts to shine a light on a community that is often overlooked in sex education. But opponents of the changes worry that the new guidelines might infringe on parental rights, and that they, not their child’s teacher, should be the ones to broach the subject of sex with their kid. There were also concerns voiced about the kind of content that children would be taught and the age at which it would be taught to them.
What do you think about the new guidelines? Join the conversation at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Sawsan Morrar, Sacramento Bee reporter covering school accountability; she tweets
Samuel Garret-Pate, communications director and spokesperson for Equality California, a statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization; Equality California is also a cosponsor of the Healthy Youth Act, which led to the guidance passed yesterday
Greg Burt, director of Capitol Engagement for California Family Council, a public policy organization defending biblical values; he tweets
Checking in on impact of Dynamex decision after Ninth Circuit rules California’s new employee classification applies retroactively
Last week, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals held that Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court – the groundbreaking California Supreme Court decision that set a new standard for how companies define who is an employee – can be applied retroactively.
The decision was made in a separate case, Vazquez v. Jan-Pro Franchising International, Inc., which has been moving through federal courts for the past decade. Jan-Pro is a Georgia-based company that has been defining itself as a franchise, instead of a cleaning service with employees.
The case now goes back down to a lower court, where damages for California plaintiffs will be decided using both the standards set by Dynamex, as well as the Ninth Circuit ruling that those standards can be applied retroactively.
Meanwhile, a bill aiming to further clarify the Dynamex ruling and put it into law is moving through the California legislature.
Larry speaks with a reporter and a labor lawyer to get the latest on this new ruling, the bill in state legislature, and what both will mean for businesses in California.
Guests:
Carolyn Said, business and technology reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle, where she’s been covering the story; she tweets
Michael Bernick, counsel for Duane Morris LLP where he practices in the area of labor and employment law; former director of California’s Employment Development Department and a Milken Institute research fellow
Beverly Hills could become the nation’s first city to ban tobacco product sales
On Tuesday, the Beverly Hills City Council discussed banning the sale of tobacco products, which was a bill originally proposed in February.
Of the 27 active businesses that hold city permits for sales of tobacco products, the draft ordinance would exempt three existing high-end cigar lounges in Beverly Hills.
Beverly Hills already has strict smoking regulations, like prohibiting smoking while standing still.
In 2014, the city of Westminster, Massachusetts proposed a similar ban which was voted down after strong public opposition.
If passed, the Beverly Hills ban would take effect on January 1, 2021.
Are you a business owner or resident of Beverly Hills? What do you think of the smoking ban? Would it hurt your business? Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
John Mirisch, mayor of the city of Beverly Hills who supports the proposed Beverly Hills ban on sales of tobacco products.
Jaime Rojas, Los Angeles-based legislative consultant for the National Association of Tobacco Outlets; he tweets
As Iran threatens more uranium enrichment, we discuss next steps for the US
Iran threatened Wednesday to enrich its uranium stockpile closer to weapons-grade levels in 60 days if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for its 2015 nuclear deal, raising regional tensions as a U.S. aircraft carrier and bombers headed to the Middle East to confront Tehran.
A televised address by President Hassan Rouhani, who once pledged that the landmark deal would draw Iran closer to the West, saw the cleric instead pressure Europe to shield Tehran from the sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump withdrawing the U.S. from the agreement exactly a year earlier.
Rouhani's threats put the world on notice that it cannot continue to rely on Iran complying with terms of the unraveling deal in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, a U.S. campaign of sanctions hammering Iran's anemic economy and blocking its sale of oil on the global market is only making life worse, putting further pressure on both its Shiite theocracy and its 80 million people.
Later Wednesday, Trump issued an executive order announcing new sanctions targeting Iran's steel, aluminum, copper and iron sectors, which provide foreign currency earnings for Tehran.
We check in on the latest from Iran and discuss the best course of policy action for the U.S.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Mehrnoosh Pourziaiee, correspondent with BBC Persian; she tweets
Aaron David Miller,distinguished fellow at the Wilson Center, a Washington-based non-partisan policy forum that tackles global issues and a negotiator in Republican and Democratic administrations; he tweets
Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank focusing on national security and foreign policy based in Washington, D.C.; he has advised the W. Bush, Obama and Trump administrations on Iran and sanctions issues; he tweets
Has your view of USC changed in light of its recent scandals?
It’s been nearly two years since the Los Angeles Times revealed the drug-fueled secret life of USC’s former medical school dean, but scandals involving the elite private university only continue to surface.
The two most prominent scandals have dominated headlines for months: the university’s major role in the college admissions scheme, and allegations of misconduct against a longtime campus gynecologist.
The university is still dealing with fallout from the former, which involved an athletic administrator and multiple coaches. The latter, involving USC student health center gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall, resulted in a class action lawsuit with a $215 million settlement.
But many other scandals have fallen largely under the public radar. Most recently, the Los Angeles Times reported the university’s School of Social Work may be facing major staff cuts after school officials found it had been losing money for years, and the budget only appeared balanced because the school was tapping into reserves.
There’s also been a growing dialogue about the economic disparity between students and its impact on student life.
Has your view of USC changed over the past two years? If you’re a student or employee of the school, do you think a change in on-campus morale has been visible? Call us at 866-893-5722.
Highlights from Governor Newsom’s revised budget presentation
Governor Gavin Newsom is pulling the tarp off his revised 2019 budget proposal today and among the big ticket items we’re expected to hear about in the newest version of the $209 billion budget he unveiled at the beginning of the year will be measures to reduce the cost of living for parents and families.
On Tuesday, Newsom previewed a few of the proposals that he’ll include in his budget revision, like ending the sales tax on tampons and diapers and taking revenue from legal marijuana sales and using it to expand state-funded child care programs. The governor also enjoys a luxury many others in his shoes have not -- a general fund and rainy day fund comparatively chock full of cash.
To view the entire revised budget from Governor Newsom, click here.
Guests:
John Myers, Los Angeles Times Sacramento bureau chief; he tweets
David Wolfe, legislative director for The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association