Yesterday, the Los Angeles City Council voted to increase the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour. Also, how will you remember David Letterman’s legacy? Then, does classical music move you to tears? If you answered yes...you might be an HSP - a highly sensitive person
Exploring the potential impact of $15 an hour on SoCal
The Los Angeles City Council voted to increase the city’s minimum wage to $15 an hour yesterday; it’s a decision that could mean a raise for about 800-thousand low-wage workers by 2020.
In addition to an increase in pay, wage increases will begin moving with the consumer price index in 2022. L.A. joins Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle, who have each voted for significant pay increases in recent years.
The council vote puts an end to a years-long debate between organized labor and business owners over the potential economic impact of a wage increase. The decision has critics on both sides of the economic aisle; city proprietors say that the ruling will lead to layoffs, reduced work hours and a loss businesses, while labor leaders contend that the timeline is too gradual. The first wage boost is set to take place in July 2016, when minimum wage will increase to $10.50 per hour. Until then, it could be difficult to predict what effect the boost will have.
Los Angeles is now the biggest city to adopt a wage increase: will nearby cities follow suit?
Guests:
George Abou-Daoud, Proprietor and chef of several LA restaurants
Tracy Rafter, Founding CEO, Los Angeles County Business Federation also known as BizFed - a not-for-profit advocacy organization
Chris Tilly, Director UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment Urban Planning
LAPD Chief Beck on stepping up foot patrols, street racing crackdown, and more
This week, LAPD announced a small expansion of foot patrols in the east side Hollenbeck Division.
"I want officers to be known by their name," said Captain Martin Baeza. Instead of three pairs of beat cops walking along the neighborhood's major corridors, it will be eight pairs. The department has used foot patrols on a limited basis on Skid Row, in Venice and elsewhere, but the sprawl of LA makes it sizeable challenge.
Larry will also get Chief Beck's thoughts on the motorcycle gang shoot-out in Waco, Texas and address whether any comparable gangs are working in LA. Earlier this month, Beck was in Washington, D.C. for an event commemorating Police Memorial Month and honored LAPD officers killed in the line of duty. We'll also talk about the recent gun buyback event; a court decision holding officers liable for withholding evidence; how officers are cracking down on street racing and cars modified illegally; and much more.
What are your questions for the chief?
With files from Frank Stoltze.
Guest:
Charlie Beck, Chief, Los Angeles Police Department
Oil spill along the Santa Barbara coast
An oil pipeline ruptured along the Santa Barbara coast on Tuesday, releasing 21,000 gallons of oil along four miles of coastline.
The slick was about 50-100 yards wide. The leak was reported at about noon on Tuesday, and about three hours later that same day, Coast Guard crews had stopped it. The cause of the rupture is still unknown. The story is developing and it’s not totally clear what the damage is or will be. While any oil leak is unfortunate, the timing of this one, just before Memorial Day weekend, will likely have a big impact on a larger swath of people getting away to one of the most scenic slices of coastline in California.
What might be the economic impact of the spill? What types of wildlife have been hurt, killed or are in danger? Was this leak stopped in a good period of time?
Guest:
Richard Rozzelle, Channel Coast District Superintendent for California State Parks. He is on the ground at Refugio State Beach.
Letterman’s legacy in late night
Starting out as a radio talk show host and weatherman in Indianapolis, a young David Letterman was known for his goofy on air antics (once predicting hail stones “the size of canned hams”) and dry sense of humor.
This keen sense of comedy would ultimately vault Letterman into the host seat of three iterations of his own talk show, culminating in the last 20 years as host of “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
Over the course of his career, Letterman interviewed pretty much everyone worth interviewing and became well-known for his opening monologues and nightly “Top 10” lists. From his iconic first interview with Bill Murray that set the tone for the rest of the show, to Crispin Glover’s strange antics during a 1987 interview that caused Letterman to walk off his own show, to Joaquin Phoenix’s bizarre and now-famous interview with Letterman in 2009, there have been few who have had as profound an impact on late night talk shows.
In its final week, Letterman will interview some of his favorite guests, including actor Tom Hanks, Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder, musician Bob Dylan, and of course, Bill Murray, ending with Letterman’s final broadcast this evening.
Comedian Steven Colbert, formerly the host of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” has been tapped to take Letterman’s place as host. CBS says “The Late Show with Steven Colbert” begins September 8th.
How will you remember David Letterman’s legacy? How big was his impact on late night talk shows? What are your favorite Letterman interviews/bits? How big are the shoes Steven Colbert has to fill? Can he fill them?
Guest:
Robert Lloyd, TV critic for the Los Angeles Times who has been covering Letterman’s wind-down.
Quit being so sensitive: For HSPs that’s not always possible
Does classical music move you to tears? Do you avoid chaotic situations? Does violence deeply upset you? If you answered yes, you might be an HSP: a highly sensitive person.
Being overly sensitive often has been considered a personality trait, but new research shows that sensitivity may be hardwired in our genetic makeup. In fact, studies show that about 20 percent of the population of both men and women fits into the HSP category.
So what does it mean to be an HSP? According to experts a highly sensitive person responds more intensely to experiences than the average individual, such as how they process positive and negative information. They are also acutely aware of sensations like taste, touch, sound or smell. They are also very sensitive to emotions—their own and those of others.
Are HSPs brains wired differently than non-HSPs? What makes some people more sensitive than others? How do highly sensitive people experience the world?
Psychologist Dr. Elaine Aron came up with a test that, while not an exact science, can give you an idea of whether you might fall on the spectrum of highly-sensitive people.
Take Dr. Aron's quiz here.
Guest:
Dr. Judith Orloff, M.D., Psychiatrist and author of “Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life”
Bianca Acevedo, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow at the University of California at Santa Barbara