Los Angeles developer Geoffrey Palmer is fighting to erect a walkway between two apartment buildings Downtown, arguing that it would protect future residents from a homeless encampment nearby. Also, a report that links the pumping of groundwater in the Central Valley to earthquakes. Then, Zillow, the real estate database, launched a new service last week predicting how much a home will be worth a year from now.
Downtown LA developer wants pedestrian bridge to avoid homeless
Los Angeles developer Geoffrey Palmer is fighting to erect a walkway between two apartment buildings downtown, arguing that it would protect future residents from a homeless encampment nearby.
The private bridge would cross Temple Street between buildings on either side to allow tenants a route above the homeless people living in a 110 Freeway underpass.
City planners, developers, and residents are debating the issue — critics of the walkway say that these kinds of private bridges demonize the homeless population, which is already being pushed out of the area as it becomes increasingly gentrified.
The Central Area Planning Commission rejected Palmer’s walkway proposal last month, but a new appeal from Councilman Jose Huizar and Palmer is asking the commission to overturn its decision. Huizar focuses on business in the area, and connecting residents to shops and neighbors, and his supporters contend that the new buildings and the walkways will help add to Downtown’s vibrant community.
Can private walkways really contribute to a bustling street scene downtown? How does a community create a sense of safety and togetherness? Is it fair to create a bridge for apartment residents to pass over the a homeless encampment?
Guests:
Patricia Diefrenderfer, senior city planner with the Department of City Planning Los Angeles, project manager for The Transit Neighborhood Plans
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Is there a link between agricultural irrigation and earthquakes?
Scientists noticed an increased occurrence of earthquakes in southern Monterey County, close to Parkfield, California. Stumped as to why, Colin B. Amos, assistant professor of geology at Western Washington University, and his team set-out to find an answer.
Just a few days ago, their report was released with a possible reason: the pumping of groundwater in the Central Valley. Since the mid-1800s, groundwater has been pumped to irrigate the surrounding farms and cities.
Today, the Central Valley produces one-quarter of the United States’ food, including 40% of its fruits and nuts. It’s the second-most-pumped aquifer system in the nation. Amos’ report suggests that the earth, no longer pinned down by the heavy groundwater, uplifts, resulting in small earthquakes.
Does this mean humans are responsible for these earthquakes? Has the pumping of massive amounts of groundwater over the past 150 years, disturbed the earth’s upper crust? Could little quakes influence bigger quakes in Los Angeles or San Francisco? Or, could little quakes release tension on the San Andreas fault, leading to a lesser possibility of the Big One?
Guests:
Bill Hammond, Research Professor at the Nevada Geodetic Laboratory, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology; Co-Author of the study
Tom Holzer, research geologist with the Earthquake Hazards Team of U.S. Geological Survey
Zillow wants to forecast how much individual homes would cost a year from now
Zillow, the real estate database, launched a new service last week predicting how much a home will be worth a year from now. The Zestimate Forecast focuses on 50 million homes, and forecasts are calculated three times a week.
The company uses a variety of variables to come up with the forecast, including the supply of homes, projected local unemployment rate, income growth, foreclosure data and so forth.
How accurate are the forecasts? Would a service like Zestimate Forecast help you make a decision on selling or buying a home?
Guests:
Svenja Gudell, Director of Economic Research, Zillow, an online real estate database, who is working on the new Zestimate Forecast
Mark Schniepp, Director, California Economic Forecast, an economic consulting firm that forecasts real estate prices in Southern California based out of Santa Barbara; former Senior Economist for the California State Controller's Office, and consulting economist to the California Department of Transportation
FilmWeek: Godzilla, Million Dollar Arm, The Immigrant, and more
Larry and KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan and Amy Nicholson review this week’s releases, including Godzilla, Million Dollar Arm, The Immigrant, and more. TGI-Filmweek!
Godzilla
Million Dollar Arm
The Immigrant
Guests:
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and CriticsAGoGo.com
Amy Nicholson, film critic for LA Weekly
Dangerous Rhythm: Why Movie Musicals Matter
Think movie musicals and most people might think Singin’ in the Rain or The Sound of Music. It might not be as dominant a movie genre as before, but the musical is still alive and well in cinema today.
In "Dangerous Rhythm: Why Movie Musicals Matter," historian Richard Barrios explores movie musicals from the first hit, the Jazz Singer, to present-day examples like Chicago and Les Misérables, providing a history of the genre, as well as a touch of backstage gossip of some of its biggest stars.
Guest:
Richard Barrios, author of “Dangerous Rhythm: Why Movie Musicals Matter” (Oxford University Press, 2014). He’s also the author of “Screened Out: Playing Gay in Hollywood from Edison to Stonewall” (Routledge, 2005)