It’s a busy start to the week for President Obama, as he hosts a summit of leaders of Arab states this week at camp David. Also, the LA County homeless census is just concluded, and new numbers are expected today, with the biggest growth in Venice. Then, new McDonalds CEO Steve Easterbrook is making some big changes to the iconic burger joint.
King Salman bails, China prevails: Saudi King backs out of summit, meeting with POTUS; U.S. and China near nuclear agreement
It’s a busy start to the week for President Obama, as he hosts a summit of leaders of Arab states this week at camp David.
However, one of the most important of the leaders will be conspicuously absent. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has decided he won’t be attending the summit or the meeting that he was supposed to have with the President ahead of that summit. The White House has also kept quiet its negotiations with China over a nuclear deal. The current one's expiring at the end of the year. What's included in the renewal is controversial.
The nuclear technology to be sold to China could be used for military purposes.It's controversial, given some of the nuclear technology to be sold to China could be adapted for military purposes. The Senate Foreign Relations committee is being briefed today, but it's unclear if Congress will approve. We'll hear the Administration's case.
Guests:
Steven Mufson, reporter for the Washington Post covering the White House. His article on the U.S.-China nuclear deal is up on the Washington Post’s website today.
Homeless population grows in Venice, highlights need for increased services
The LA County homeless census is just concluded, and new numbers are expected today.
One of the biggest areas of growth is Venice, where a homeless man was recently shot and killed by police after getting into a dispute with bar patrons and a bouncer. It's just the latest example of conflict between residents, business owners, and people living on Venice's streets, boardwalk, and beach.
Last week’s fatal shooting of a homeless man in Venice Beach, highlights yet again the problem of homelessness in Southern California. Reports show that the homeless population has increased in Los Angeles and homeless advocacy groups are speaking out about the need for more to be done to help the marginalized population in Venice.
Executive Director Va Lecia Adams Kellum of St Joseph Center in Venice shares what services are available in Venice and many new partnerships underway. We’ll also check in with KPCC Correspondent Frank Stoltze about police and homeless relations in the wake of last week’s shooting.
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Guests:
Va Lecia Adams Kellum, Executive Director of St Joseph Center Venice
Frank Stoltze, KPCC Correspondent
Correction: A previous version of this story identified Brendon Glenn using an incorrect first name in a caption. KPCC regrets the error.
You want kale with that? The future of McDonald’s and fast food marketing
In an effort to battle slumping sales, new McDonalds CEO Steve Easterbrook is making some big changes to the iconic burger joint.
He plans to not only streamline the company’s corporate structure and sell off several thousand stores, but also make changes to the menu and service practices. McDonald's has said it plans to bring back its third-pound sirloin burgers, and is also testing breakfast bowls here in Southern California that include kale. They’re also considering serving breakfast 24 hours in some markets and even a delivery service.
McDonald's is, however, up against some formidable forces working against it. Millennials and younger customers today tend to lean more toward gourmet burger joints like Smashburger or Five Guys. Consumers are also more health conscious than they were in the past, meaning McDonald's and other fast food giants must do more to provide healthy options and be transparent about ingredients.
What does the future of fast food marketing look like? How will restaurants like McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy’s continue to bring in customers in an age where people are more health-conscious than ever before?
Guests:
Nancy Luna, author of “The Fast Food Maven” blog at OCRegister.com where she writes about food and the fast food industry. She’s also a staff writer for the OC Register and tweets
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Jeff Davis, chief operating officer at Sandelman, a market research and consulting firm focusing on fast food restaurants and casual dining.
Councilmember Krekorian details middle way on the minimum wage
As Los Angeles debates the merits of various proposals to increase the minimum wage, LA City Councilmember Paul Krekorian has his own plan.
Unlike Mayor Garcetti’s plan to raise the minimum wage to $13.25 by 2017 or the more ambitious plan of other council members to raise it to $15.25 by 2019, Mr. Krekorian is striking a balance at $13.50 by 2018 and $15.25 by 2021.
Relative to the other plans, Krekorian’s is quite complex. Among other details, his plan includes: a lower minimum wage for teenage workers, apprentices, and transitional workers; exemptions for certain non-profits; and a one-year implementation delay for businesses with fewer than 50 employees. So far, the plan does not deal with the controversial issues surrounding tipped workers’ pay.
What do you think about Councilmember Krekorian’s minimum wage proposal? How will the Los Angeles City Council find a way forward that mollifies both labor and business groups?
Guests:
Paul Krekorian, Los Angeles City Councilmember for the 2nd District
In defense of the lawn: Californians prepare to ditch or double-down on green lawns
For many people, a lush green lawn is a point of pride.
It takes time, dedication, and lots of water to keep it thriving throughout the year.
Is the lawn here to stay or is it a thing of the past, as more of the west faces extreme drought?
Vanity Fair writer on the history of America’s first ‘Age of Terror’
The threat and human cost of terrorism have not strayed from the minds of Americans since the attacks on the World Trade Towers.
But there was a time in the 1970s when bombings by domestic extremists groups were a daily occurrence. The groups behind these attacks went by such names as The Weather Underground, the Black Liberation Army, the Symbionese Liberation Army, and others.
Vanity Fair correspondent Bryan Burrough details the history of these groups and more in “Days of Rage.” The book contains interviews with members of these underground groups who have never spoken publicly before.
Guest:
Bryan Burrough, author of “Days of Rage: America’s Radical Underground, The FBI, and the Forgotten Age of Revolutionary Violence” (Penguin, 2015); special correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine