Today on AirTalk, we discuss budget cuts with LAUSD superintendent Austin Beutner. Also on the show, we get the latest on LAPD with Chief Moore; discuss new proposals for restaurant dining; and more.
COVID-19 AMA: LA County Aims For July 4 Reopening, Latest Numbers And More
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger says she wants to target the Fourth of July for a full or staged reopening of retail, restaurants, and malls in the county.
Barger gave that directive to the Los Angeles County Economic Resiliency Task Force outlining a plan to get businesses open again under public health guidelines.
In a statement, she said the county's task force agreed prolonged business closures could cause permanent job and wage losses, and prevent many smaller businesses from reopening.
The county has had a "stay at home" order in place for nearly two months to slow the spread of coronavirus. The L.A. Economic Development Corporation says 75% of the jobs lost during that time are workers earning $50,000 a year or less — mostly in restaurants or retail.
Barbara Ferrer, the county's director of public health, cautioned that while officials are aiming for July 4, it's not a sure thing.
L.A. County has yet to meet a crucial state benchmark to move faster into the second stage of reopening. Counties recording an 8% positive rate for people taking COVID-19 tests for more than a week can move faster in the recovery process. Los Angeles County recently moved its positivity rate to 9%.
Read more on LAist.
We discuss the latest with our medical expert. If you have questions, call us at 866-893-5722.
Guest:
Arthur Reingold, M.D., professor of epidemiology and Head of the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the School of Public Health in UC Berkeley
Local Faith Leaders, Congregants Share Hopes And Concerns About Returning To Places Of Worship
Like many things that rely on social interaction and being in the same place as others to be fulfilling, religious and faith communities across the world have had to get creative during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here on AirTalk alone, we’ve heard from leaders of Muslim, Jewish and Christian faith communities who shared the challenges of celebrating weekly services and high holy days over video conference instead of together in a place of worship. Most, but not all, in California have followed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order so far, but with parts of the economy in all 50 states now open in some capacity, discussions among faith leaders and congregants about returning to in-person worship are no doubt gathering momentum. A recent addition to the pressure to allow religious institutions to open up again came on Tuesday in the form of a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice to Gov. Newsom warning him that his plans to roll back the stay-at-home order may be violating the constitutional right to religious freedom.
Today on AirTalk, we want to hear from leaders and members of faith communities and religious institutions across Southern California -- how are you getting ready to restart weekly worship services? What precautions are you taking to ensure the safety of congregants? Join the live conversation by calling 866-893-5722.
LAPD Chief Moore: Rapid-Result Testing For Arrestees, Possible Budget Cuts, Excessive Force Investigation And More
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore joins Larry Mantle for his monthly check-in on AirTalk. Topics discussed include:
How is the LAPD enforcing LA’s mandatory guidance to wear masks?
The number of officers testing positive for the virus is increasing
Outbreak within LAPD training academy
Rapid-result testing for everyone the LAPD arrests
Release of jail inmates due to the virus, how does that affect probation officers and law enforcement?
Possible budget cuts with goal of keeping department staffed
Landlord-tenant disputes jump 300% amid stay-at-home orders
LAPD releases body camera video of beating of homeless Boyle Heights man as part of excessive force investigation
LAPD to end controversial program that aimed to predict where crimes would occur
Zero bail policy leading to rise in repeat offenders
Study finds community policing program has prevented crime and made residents feel safer
Guest:
Michel Moore, chief of the Los Angeles Police Department; he tweets
Education & COVID-19: LAUSD Superintendent Responds To Deep State Cuts To K-12 Education Budget
It was no secret that deep cuts were likely coming when California Gov. Gavin Newsom released his revised state budget last week, and when they did, it was the state’s education system that was on the chopping block to the tune of $6.5 billion (a 10 percent decrease) in cuts to the state’s K-12 funding formula in an effort to help cover the $54.3 billion shortfall in the overall budget.
A number of districts across the state, including Los Angeles Unified, have said the budget cuts could set back the reopening of schools for in-classroom instruction in the fall. The LAUSD Board met on Tuesday afternoon for the first time since the budget’s release, and among the agenda items was a planned update on the state budget and what it means for LAUSD’s bottom line over the next year. In an address on Monday, Superintendent Austin Beutner said in a video address that specifics on that would be coming in the days and weeks to follow, but warned of the potential harm to students if state and federal governments didn’t step in and help fill funding gaps before the final budget is passed.
Today on AirTalk, Superintendent Beutner joins us to talk in more detail about how the proposed budget cuts at the state level could affect students, teachers and school staff at the district level and what it could mean for the district’s efforts to reopen schools in the fall.
For more on the impact of the state budget cuts to LAUSD from KPCC/LAist education reporter Kyle Stokes, click here.
Guest:
Austin Beutner, superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District; he tweets
Education & COVID-19: Interviews With Small, Private Universities Looking To Reopen In Fall
While public university community college systems have announced that their campuses will remain closed this fall, a handful of small, private universities in Southern California say they're making plans to welcome back students to campus.
Cal Lutheran University says it’s considering things like spreading out classes across days and times and moving classes into larger spaces, hybrid in-person/virtual instruction, and changing the start of the semester. Other universities are at different stages of planning for in-person reopenings. Pepperdine University in Malibu, Azusa Pacific University, and Chapman University in Orange all said they want students back on campus this fall, but final decisions to reopen will depend on guidelines from state and health officials in the coming weeks. Chapman is calling its planning the "CU Safely Back" initiative. Chapman officials say smaller class sizes and enrollment (about 10,000) give the university more flexibility to carry out social distancing and provide safety measures like masks and gloves to all students. The university plans to downsize dorm capacity to about a third of its current size, install temperature-taking stations around campus, and provide COVID-19 tests to students and employees.
Today on AirTalk, Larry talks with the provost of Champan about plans to reopen and the considerations school leaders are weighing as they move forward. Do you have questions? Call 866-893-5722.
With files from LAist. Read the full story from Adolfo Guzman-Lopez here.
Guests:
Glenn M. Pfeiffer, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs at Chapman University, a private school in Orange, California
Michael Thomas, president of Concordia University Irvine
Rukshan Fernando, interim provost at Azusa Pacific University, in Azusa, California
SoCal Cities Look To Street Closures To Expand Outdoor Seating For Restaurants
Cities in Southern California are looking for new ways to expand outdoor seating options for local restaurants once dining in becomes an option again, with social distancing protocols in place to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
State guidelines for reopening dining rooms once cities and counties are able to relax stay-at-home orders include: providing staff with face coverings, using disposable menus, allowing for at least six feet of distance between tables, and prioritizing and potentially expanding outdoor seating. Cities like
Yesterday, I joined 15 restauranteurs from across the city for a virtual roundtable to discuss how they plan to survive as we reopen the economy. I heard one thing loud and clear: they want access to our city roads, sidewalks, and parking spots to create safe outdoor spaces.
— Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) May 13, 2020
, Palm Springs and Sierra Madre are now coming up with plans to increase outdoor seating options for restaurants -- using sidewalks, streets, parking spots and other public spaces.
Guests:
Robert Garcia, mayor of Long Beach; he tweets
Geoff Kors, mayor of Palm Springs; he tweets