The Future of Griffith Park; Taxing Toxins; President Bush Orders Sanctions against Sudan; Maxed Out
The Future of Griffith Park
Larry Mantle discusses the Griffith Park recovery plan that will be published this week and takes calls from listeners who weigh in on how they think the park should be restored and developed. In the aftermath of the May 8 fire, the city plans to spend 50 million dollars to restore the park, but opportunities emerge: Should re-growth be closely managed, or allowed to proceed naturally? Larry talks to Mike Shull, Superintendent of Planning and Development for the Department of Recreation and Parks for the City of Los Angeles.
Taxing Toxins
California Assemblyman Mike Feuer has introduced a bill that would impose fees on manufacturers that use large amounts of toxic chemicals. Assembly bill 558, called the "Toxic Use Reduction Act," resembles a similar law in Massachusetts that has reduced the use of toxics in that state by 41 percent. Larry talks with State Assemblyman Feuer and with Liz Harriman, Deputy Director of the Toxics Use Reduction Institute in Massachusetts.
President Bush Orders Sanctions against Sudan
President Bush today announced new economic sanctions against Sudan for its role in the Darfur conflict. Bush also directed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to draft a proposed U.N. resolution to strengthen international pressure on the Sudanese government of President Omar al-Bashir. The conflict erupted in February 2003 when members of Darfur's ethnic African tribes rebelled against the Arab-dominated Khartoum government. Sudanese leaders are accused of retaliating by supporting the Janjaweed militia to put down the rebels, resulting in what many countries, including the U.S., now call a "genocide." Larry talks with Jason Small of the U.S. State Department, Alex Meixner of the Save Darfur Coalition, and with Seth Brysk of the American Jewish Committee Los Angeles about the sanctions and about the conflict.
Maxed Out
Foreclosures are hitting record highs; Americans are declaring bankruptcy at rates ten times that during the Great Depression, and more college students drop out because of debt than due to poor grades. Award-winning documentary filmmaker James Scurlock explored the enormity of consumer debt in our society and its consequences in his 2006 film Maxed Out. Scurlock blames financial institutions and a pliable Congress for allowing bankers to make the rules on extending credit. Larry talks with Scurlock about his companion book Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders (Scribner) which is a call to change how we think about debt.