California is losing population to domestic migration, people relocating to this state have significantly higher incomes than those leaving it, according to reports. We also meet the candidates for Orange County Sheriff; discuss five propositions in the November ballot; and more.
Breaking news: Hawaii’s Kilauea erupts
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano has erupted from its summit, shooting a dusty plume of ash about 30,000 feet into the sky.
It comes after more than a dozen fissures recently opened miles to the east of the crater and spewed lava into neighborhoods.
Those areas were evacuated as lava destroyed at least 26 homes and 10 other structures.
The crater sits within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which has been closed since May 11.
Officials have said they didn't expect the explosion to be deadly as long as people remained out of park.
Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes. An eruption in 1924 killed one person and sent rocks, ash and dust into the air for 17 days.
With files from the Associated Press.
Guests:
Mike Poland, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey, confirmed the explosion to AP on Thursday
Weston Thelen, research seismologist and volcanologist at U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Science Center in Vancouver, Washington; he studied Kilauea at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory from 2011 to 2016
Researchers believe freeway overpasses may save dwindling mountain lion population. Why are these big cats important to SoCal’s ecology?
Freeways may have made SoCal easier to traverse for humans, but they’ve also created isolated ecological zones, and subsequently isolated wildlife genetic pools, which has especially affected our small mountain lion population.
Barriers such as the I-15 and the 101 mean that these large cats are increasingly staying in one spot and interbreeding, which makes them weaker, and in the case of the males, killing each other over territory. They rarely attempt to cross freeways, but when they do, they often get hit by cars.
The solution? Researchers are pushing for wildlife crossing bridges, constructed over highways, to increase ecological connectivity.
A report from March identifies a location for an overpass above the 101 and the 15 freeways. The proposed project crossing the 101 would be a 165 foot wide overpass, constructed to the tune of $60 million, mostly privately funded. But the price tag leaves some locals wondering whether these overpasses are worth it.
What is the mountain lion’s role in the ecology of Southern California? What would be the impact of their disappearance? And what makes for an ideal wildlife crossing location?
Guests:
Seth Riley, wildlife ecologist for the National Park Service at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and adjunct professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Los Angeles
Trish Smith, ecologist working in land protection and research in Orange, Riverside and San Diego Counties for The Nature Conservancy
Meet the candidates for Orange County Sheriff
With incumbent Sheriff Sandra Hutchens retiring after her current term ends, the race is on for who will be next to hold the position of top cop at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the fifth-largest sheriff’s department in the country with 3,800 sworn and civilian employees.
Three long-time lawmen have thrown their hats into the ring for the job -- current Orange County Undersheriff Don Barnes, Aliso Viejo Mayor Dave Harrington, who is a former Sergeant with OCSD, and Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Investigator Duke Nguyen, who was formerly a police officer for the city of Santa Ana. The three men all boast over 20 years of law enforcement, and all have spent a considerable number of those years in the OC.
Whichever candidate voters select will have plenty to keep him busy from the get-go. Issues like controlling expanding homeless encampments and the jailhouse informant scandal will certainly be top-of-mind, but the new OC Sheriff will also have to contend with issues like a ballooning budget, an opioid crisis affecting counties nationwide, and how much the department is willing to cooperate with federal immigration officials.
The three candidates join Larry on AirTalk to talk about why they’re running for the office, what they’ll bring to the position, and their takes on some of the major issues facing Orange County law enforcement officials.
Ready for Election Day? Get up to speed on what you need to know with KPCC’s Voter Game Plan. Read up on the candidates and ballot measures, find out about registration deadlines and ask us your questions.
Guests:
Don Barnes, Orange County Undersheriff and candidate for Orange County Sheriff
Dave Harrington, mayor of the city of Aliso Viejo and candidate for Orange County Sheriff
Duke Nguyen, investigator for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office and candidate for Orange County Sheriff
The housing market is a heartbreak in California, but is it getting any better?
California is losing population to domestic migration, people relocating to this state have significantly higher incomes than those leaving it, according to reports.
Meanwhile, some residents are frustrated by the lack of affordable homes on the market. The median home price in an average neighborhood is above $1 million. According to a report by ReportsOnHousing, which tracks regional home-buying patterns, sellers are still in the driver’s seat.
We examine the trends and highlights that are driving the market. Why are people struggling to find homes in Southern California and how much one needs to make in order to afford a home.
Call us at 866-893-5722.
Guests:
Oscar Wei, senior economist at California Association of Realtors; he tweets
Steven Thomas, chief economist and founder of Reports On Housing, an Orange County-based firm that tracks regional homebuying patterns
They might not be sexy, but they are important: 5 props on the June ballot
There are five propositions in the November ballot, and the LA Times’ John Myers has written a handy guide for California voters.
Myers joins Larry to provide details, and to talk about all the different political ads flooding the airwaves from the gubernatorial race.
One ad from the Gavin Newsom campaign has caught Larry’s attention. Find out what it is and why.
Ready for Election Day? Get up to speed on what you need to know with KPCC’s Voter Game Plan. Read up on the candidates and ballot measures, find out about registration deadlines and ask us your questions.
Guest:
John Myers, Sacramento bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, who’s written about the 5 propositions that are on the June ballot
What one couple learned about America on a 100,000-mile journey across the US
We hear a lot about a politically and economically divided U.S., but reinvention is another word to describe many of the towns and people here.
That’s according to writers James and Deborah Fallows. For the past five years, the couple has taken it upon themselves to rediscover cities across the nation, traveling in a single-engine prop airplane.
Among the dozens of towns and hundreds of public servants, civic leaders, immigrants, workers and other people they’ve spoken to, making things better was a goal many shared, no matter where they lived. They also discovered that when things seem chaotic in Washington, there is often a sense of reform on the local level. In their new book, “Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America,” the Fallowses document stories behind Burlington, Vermont, Holland, Michigan and headed out west to our towns of Redlands, San Bernardino and Riverside, California, just to name a few.
They join Larry Mantle today to talk about the everyday prospects of places that usually only draw national attention during a disaster, and share what they’ve learned about the complexities of our country.
Event: James and Deborah Fallows will discuss their book at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Thursday, May 16, at the Gensler architecture firm in Downtown L.A.
Guests:
James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic and co-author of “Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America” (Pantheon, 2018)
Deborah Fallows, contributing writer for The Atlantic and co-author of “Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America” (Pantheon, 2018)